ahrz

Since the Centurion card is "by invitation only", it's Amex sole decision to set the criteria, change them every day, or not to have any.

Amex never published any criteria about the card, there is no "right" to be invited once 150K is reached.

And again, it's only a charge card ! Having it or not having it will not change your life...

JAGMAP

Thank you ahrz for your comment! It truly won't change your life!

stimpy

Hmmm. Not exactly. Having Avis Presidents Club means I'm always driving a Cadillac in LA or a Mercedes in France or some other upscale car. Without the black card I would be driving a much lower end car. That, even though superficial to some, makes a difference in my life, especially in LA. But much more importantly, is how I have been taken care of in adverse situations. It has really saved my butt several times and had a big impact on my life.

But yes, it hasn't changed who I am if that was what you were referring to.

Doppy

Most people, when they talk about how much they "saved" are wrong. You get the guy who paid the $199 rate at XYZ hotel and was upgraded to the Presidential Suite with a rack rate of $5000. He "saved" $4800. But he wasn't going to pay for that suite anyway, so there was no savings. He might feel that the $2500 he spent for the card was worth it, though, at check-in methinks if he were offered the opportunity to pay the $2500 right then and there for the upgrade, he'd probably turn it down.

Supreme Leader of the Free World

Maybe, but it has to be worth something...for example would they pay $500?. I personally only consider confirmed upgrades/benifits that I would have paid for normally for as a savings. I not sure it is plausable to say that you would not get your $2500 worth. You do get confirmed first class upgrades. You do get confirmed hotel discounts/upgrades.

In terms of prestige it certainly has it. If any material thing has prestige that is easily portable, this is it. I must say I like having a card that you need to spend $250K to get. ;-)

JAGMAP

You get elite status with 3 airlines which would hopefully get you space-available upgrades but in no way, shape, or form is it guaranteed. Yes, you can get it confirmed 3 days beforehand, but if there is an aircraft change or if you want to change flights - there goes your upgrade. What if you're SO isn't a Centurion cardholder? Their upgrade (if it's available) wouldn't be processed until you arrive at the airport.

I do think the card makes good sense if you want to join Exclusive Resorts. You get a $15,000 discount + $1000/year credit towards expenses. Not a bad deal...

dsimon

How does driving a Cadillac in L.A. make a difference in your life? As opposed to, say, a Ford Explorer?

stimpy

First of all a Ford Explorer would be the same or more than a Caddilac at Avis or Hertz. Without the Black card I would be driving a Malibu or Lesabre at best. Second of all, I never knew how much driving a nice car in LA meant, til I lived here a while.

dsimon

Okay, insert Malibu into the above question. Please explain to me what driving a nice car in L.A. means to you.

stimpy

Well as I said above, I didn't understand it til I lived here for a while. So that's my answer to you. Live here for a while and maybe you will understand.

dsimon

Relocation to L.A. is not in my short term plans.

I am not trying to be a joker, I honestly want to know what driving a Cadillac in L.A. means to you as opposed to, say, a Malibu. Surely you can cite one example or something anecdotal where it has impacted your life.

Kyle53719

To all those who have said in one form or another that the Centurion Card is not worth the $2500, it depends on who is using it. If you are a frequent traveller, the Centurion Card certainly can make your life a little more convienent on the road.

However, from what I have read through all the forums, to all those who carry the Centurion Card for its "Presitge" obviously to me don't have at all the self-esteem or confidence than those who carry a regular credit card. You may get treated better at Neiman Marcus or Saks and get those first-class and room upgrades at the fancy hotels who want your money, but the Centurion Card certainly does not get you the respect from family or friends (unless they're materialistic too).

As an employee of Goldman Sachs, most of the wealthy clients I know do not even carry an American Express Card. They don't need to demonstrate that they are wealthy at the POS counter. They fly coach, stay at the Holiday Inn, and drive Toyota Camrys. One individual client even donated $205 million dollars to an Arts Foundation several years ago. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that most people who are in this forum are not really wealthy, but want to be treated as a wealthy individual when shopping thereby obtaining the Black Card. If you truly are at the top tier of society, then you don't need to be upgraded, you can afford to purchase whatever your heart desires.

Again, it makes me sad to hear that a Caddilac makes someones life more convienent, when a Taurus will provide you the same needs. Yes you can live life to the fullest, but wouldn't you get more satisfaction if you spend your money more responsibly and if you have money lying around, donating it to a charitable cause. That's my two cents.

Doppy

I'm not saying that someone wouldn't, I'm just saying that the way I hear many people talk about the "savings" is bogus. If you would have paid $500 for the upgrade, then it's a $500 value - sure.

I would consider getting the Centurion, but the last few years has seen the fee go up by 250% and services go down quite a bit. Maybe if raising the spending requirement coincides with an increase in service, I'll consider it.

DJ_Iceman

This is an interesting development. It certainly seems to make sense that if AmEx wants to preserve the exclusivity of the card, they would raise the qualification level. But that does nothing for all the riff-raff who got it these past few years at the lower level. And I certainly don't understand why they grandfathered cardholders at the $1K annual fee instead of raising it for everyone, new cardholders as well as existing ones, to $2,500. That would have eliminated more riff-raff right there--if you can't afford $2,500 a year for the card, then you're probably not the kind of customer they're looking for. Yes, it would have ticked off some long-time loyal customers, but most would probably have grudgingly accepted the increase.

The key for them seems to be stopping the perceived slip in quality of services provided to Centurions. Maybe halting new card offers (which the $250K spend limit seems like it will effectively do) will enable them to focus on bringing perceived value back to the card. I still think that an across-the-board annual fee increase would greatly enhance this process, but maybe that's their plan once the card's benefits are beefed up. "Okay, we've turned Centurion back into an exclusive, really valuable program. Now pony up or ship out."

Interesting, indeed...

dspringer28

I agree with the the idea that the $1000ers should not be grandfathered.

It they want it to be more exclusive, I think making everyone pay $2500 would be more effective than 100k-->250k.